


winter morning

by vannral



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Established Relationship, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-16 01:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10561350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vannral/pseuds/vannral
Summary: Trevelyan enjoys early mornings. This time she's not the only one.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My love for this series knows no bounds and I'm so fond of Cullen/Alistair dynamic, so this happened. I was just thinking how interesting it would have been if Skyhold had day and night cycles. Sunrises and sunsets! Anyways, enjoy the story!

Dawn paints the horizon glows pale yellow and pink. It’s still a bit dark, and icy cold air prickles Trevelyan’s lungs, her breathing misting as she tramps through the court yard’s snow drifts.

It’s a lovely, _clear_ morning, she thinks, feeling sweet sense of peace settle into her bones. She enjoys these calm starts, when Skyhold is still half-asleep, _cosy._ Some sleepy servants are just getting up.

Trevelyan makes her way toward the stables, but stops, when she hears faint talking. Curiously, she looks around and spots Cullen and Warden Alistair up on the battlements, sitting on a bench, wrapped in thick woollen scarves.

     “Good morning”, she greets as she approaches them, and they stop talking and turn to look at her.

     “Morning, Inquisitor”, Cullen says warmly. He looks better now, Trevelyan notes satisfied; he looks well-rested and there’s steady amber glow in his eyes. There’s nothing haggard or haunted about him anymore, and she’s happy to see it.

     “Why are you up so early? Up to no good already?” Warden Alistair teases and flashes a charming grin at her.

     “I could ask you two the same”, she asks, amused.

     “Oh, but I have an answer for that! A completely justified, by the way, and _ridiculous,_ because Cullen’s room _has a hole on the ceiling,_ for Andraste’s _sake. On a mountain._ And the birds. We had one _sparrow_ gawking down at us, very creepy that.”

Trevelyan’s eyes widen. _Oooh my._ She hasn’t expected _that._

Neither of the men doesn’t seem to notice that she _has_ noticed.

     “It does seem like tempting fate”, she agrees mildly.

Cullen snorts, but there’s definitely softness around his eyes. “My room isn’t on the list of priorities.”

     “Thus, my conclusion – yeah, _listen,_ I’m totally serious here _–_  you still don’t sleep as much as you should, ‘cause _no one_ can sleep well there”, Warden Alistair clicks his tongue, but then, he smiles fondly and tugs Cullen’s overgrown beard with easy affection.

     “I sleep well enough, _Alistair.”_

The Warden _beams_ at him, and Trevelyan has a feeling she has just missed something important. Never mind, she probably doesn’t need to know.

     “As in, not at _all”,_ Alistair argues back happily.

Cullen rolls his eyes, but there’s no ire in his demeanour and shoves a piece of bread into Alistair’s mouth. Alistair grins, pleased.

     “Please at least _attempt_ to sleep, Commander”, Trevelyan says.

     “I can think a few ways”, the Warden says, and _yes, Trevelyan very much doesn’t need to know about that, thank you._ Alistair is almost waggling his eyebrows.

To her surprise, Cullen doesn’t seem to be fazed by his companion’s comments and just tears another piece of bread and looks over the wall toward the mountains.

Alistair turns to Trevelyan. “He’s a bit cranky in the mornings”, he tells her. “You should’ve seen him during our training days; he kept scowling and glaring people before he got breakfast. People kept dodging him.”

     “At least I didn’t scream into silence just because I was bored, _Alistair”,_ comes Cullen’s dry reply, but there’s no heat in it. Just familiar, easy banter like they’ve gone through this many times before.  

     “Hey, I’m not ashamed of that. I even told Cousland that, completely voluntarily.”

     “To the Hero of Ferelden?” Trevelyan repeats, stunned.

     “Uh huh.”

     “She was very impressed”, Cullen deadpans, but Trevelyan can _see_ a crooked, amused smile twitching his lips.

     “Of course she was. One of the few times when she was, by the way. Totally caught her off guard.”

     “She probably thought you were insane, especially after the lamp post talk.”

     “I have that effect on people. And I didn’t use it on _her,_ she overheard me. It was an argument. I was completely and totally taken already, so _there,_ no lamp posts with her or anyone else _._ ”

Cullen snorts, now not even bothering to hide his affection for this man sitting next to him.

Trevelyan has no idea what they are talking about anymore. She doesn’t quite understand their relationship, but she can see so much history, _warmth_ and _fondness_ between them, a _bond,_ and she has to pause to admire it, how effortlessly they behave in each other’s company.

     “Well, I’m glad you’re here now”, she says to Alistair. “It’s nice to see Commander relaxing once in a while.”

     “No worries, Inquisitor, it’s been my holy calling to drag him away from work since we were thirteen. Not going to stop now just because there’s a silly green hole in the sky”, Alistair says cheerfully.

Trevelyan hasn’t heard anyone describe the Breach as _silly._ Why not.

Cullen resigns to his fate, but seems to be completely at peace with it. She has never seen him so content.  

     “Well”, Trevelyan says, smiling. “I’ll leave you two to enjoy the sunrise. See you inside later?”

     “Yes, of course.”

     “Absolutely!”

She retreats down the stone stairs, and glances over her shoulder.

Pale golden light casts it’s first rays onto the battlement, onto _them,_ and Alistair’s buried his head into the crook of Cullen’s neck. They are quietly enjoying the moment, and Trevelyan’s heart squeezes with tenderness for both of them.

They deserve happiness.

Whistling to herself, she continues her way to the stables. 

+

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Please tell me if you see any grammar mistakes, not a native speaker! Thank you! <3


End file.
